MUSHROOM GROWING. 187 



made of close oak or elm boards an inch and a half 

 thick, or even two inches will not be too much ; my 

 reason for this is, that the beds may not get too dry. 

 The bottom of the shelves need not be ploughed and 

 tongued, but merely fitted moderately close, then there 

 will be sufficient drainage to secure the beds from stag- 

 nant damp. These shelves should have side boards 

 rising from six to nine inches above the bottom. A 

 small flow-and-return pipe should run once round the 

 house, to keep the temperature at 55 or 60 during the 

 winter months. A two-inch pipe will heat a small house 

 quite enough ; and a three-inch pipe is large enough 

 for any house used for Mushroom growing. As will be 

 seen in the plan above, I prefer the pipes running round 

 the walls, instead of in the middle of the house ; one 

 flow-and-return pipe will be ample. Too much heat is 

 positively detrimental in growing Mushrooms. If we 

 consider the conditions under which they flourish best 

 naturally, we find that they do not require a great heat, 

 but a temperature of considerably less than 50. Many 

 a time have I been out early in the morning in the 

 months of September and October, ' mushrooming ' as 

 we used to call it, when I was young ; when it has been 

 so cold that one would be glad of a great coat, and the 

 dew has been quite heavy on the grass, like a hoar frost 

 dissolved, so that my boots have been as thoroughly 

 soaked as if I had walked in water over the tops, such 

 has been the condensing power of the cold through 

 the night. < Ah ! ' thought I, ' this is the morning for 

 Mushrooms,' and so it used to turn out generally. This 

 should teach us two important things : first, a good dry 

 heat to spread the spawn ; and secondly, a moist and a 

 lower temperature to grow the Mushroom. 



